Real or Not?
by DrawnToDarkness
Summary: Written for a prompt on Tumblr: Skye needs a little help following a mission gone wrong. SkyeWard. Very slight spoilers up to and including 1x11.


_Written for a prompt received on Tumblr, which I'll put at the end._

* * *

Ward was the one to come up with the idea, admitting grudgingly that it came from a book he'd just finished reading a few weeks before it had all gone to hell.

When they'd finally rescued Skye and Simmons had tearfully announced that not only had their resident hacker been tortured but that her mind had been addled by the drugs she'd been given to try and get her to talk, they'd all been worried at how the ordeal would affect the normally bright and bubbly young woman. It wasn't until she'd woken up from the medically induced coma Simmons had put her in in order to tend to her physical injuries that they realised the extent of the mental injuries she'd sustained, too.

It wasn't a case of not being able to remember, not exactly. It was more like a case of remembering too much and being unable to discern which memories were real and which had been implanted by her captors in an attempt at trying to get her to believe their lies so she'd tell them what they wanted to know.

After the reason for her confusion became clear, Ward suggested they try the game used in the book he'd finished reading and, in the absence of a better idea or a qualified therapist onboard the Bus, Coulson agreed and ordered everyone to take part.

The game, as it was, was simple. Skye would spend time with each of her teammates and reacclimatise to life aboard the Bus. As and when memories came to her, she'd tell whoever she was with and ask them to clarify whether it was true by answering 'real' for those they could verify and 'not real' for those they were certain were false.

* * *

Her first day was spent with FitzSimmons, who went out of their way to make her comfortable in the lab as they worked. They brought down pillows and blankets from her bunk and kept up a steady stream of chatter while constantly asking if she was okay and if they could get her anything.

"I... I remember seeing you with a knife to your throat," Skye said suddenly, after a reasonably quiet morning spent listening to them talking and smiling at their stories and easy banter. She addressed the question to Fitz, her brow furrowed as though trying to hold onto the memory. "Real or not real?"

Remembering the incident, when they'd been betrayed by an old friend of Coulson's, Fitz nodded in confirmation. "Real. Though it wasn't as scary as it sounds."

"It was our second mission –" Simmons began.

"—Well, our first as a full team –" Fitz continued.

"It was our first real mission with you," Simmons finished with an affectionate smile. "You sort of were the first-first mission. Do you remember that?"

Skye nodded slowly, her expression clearing. "Rising Tide. Mike. Centipede. I remember the first mission. I remember... I think... Ward and Coulson kidnapped me? Brought me here with a bag over my head? Real or not real?"

"Real." Simmons flinched a little as she admitted it. "But that was before. You're a member of the team now."

"Right." Skye managed a small smile and drifted back into her thoughts. The scientists exchanged a concerned glance before allowing themselves to become absorbed in their work once again.

When Skye spoke again, almost an hour later, her voice was so quiet they almost didn't hear her.

Almost.

"Real or not real. You jumped out of the plane once." There were tears shining in her eyes, a pained look that made Simmons stop what she was doing instantly and cross the lab to crouch down beside the chair Skye was sitting in.

She took Skye's hand in hers, squeezing the hacker's cold fingers with her own as she remembered her experience with the Chitauri virus and how the whole horrible incident had brought the two of them closer together, cementing their relationship as firm friends rather than just teammates. "Real," she admitted softly. "But that was because I thought I was going to end up hurting you all. Because of the virus."

"I remember." Skye nodded and surprised Simmons by freeing her hand only to wrap her arms around the scientist, hugging her tightly. Simmons smiled and hugged her back as Fitz watched them, a smile that was both pained and proud on his face. "I'm glad you're okay, Jemma."

"You're going to be okay, too," Simmons murmured, tightening her arms around the rookie agent. "We're going to make sure of it."

* * *

On the second day, she chose to spend the day with May. Why she chose the usually silent woman, no one knew – Skye didn't explain herself and no one asked her. She got up, got dressed and made her way to the cockpit where May was piloting the plane, taking the seat she'd sat in before without a word.

The two women sat in silence for a long while and after May got used to the younger woman's presence, the silence grew comfortable rather than awkward. Familiar, even, and that was Skye's first question.

"I've done this before. Sat with you in here. Real or not real?"

"Real." May didn't take her hands off the controls or her eyes off the readings. She didn't expand on it, either, but Skye didn't need her to.

That was how it continued for most of the day, with the two of them sitting mostly in silence with the occasional question from Skye and May only speaking in order to answer it.

Until the Skye's voice got quieter, and the questions she asked got personal.

"You're known as the Cavalry, but you don't like the name because of what it reminds you of. Real or not real?"

May tensed but still didn't look at her. "Real."

Skye cleared her throat and gazed down at her hands, which were clasped tightly in her lap. "You're sleeping with Agent Ward. Real or not real?"

"Not real." May glanced at Skye out of the corner of her eye, one side of her mouth quirking in a humourless smile at the surprise on the younger woman's face. "Not anymore. Not for a while."

Nodding to show she'd heard, Skye was silent for a while before looking up, holding May's gaze as her eyes shone. "You hate me, and you think Coulson should've kicked me off the team a long time ago." The hacker swallowed audibly, looking almost afraid of the answer. "Real or not real?"

"Not real." Surprised herself by the emotion the question evoked in her, May turned away from the controls to face the younger woman fully. "Not at all." She cleared her throat and held Skye's gaze, hating the look in Skye's eyes. Fear, hope. "You are a valued member of this team, Skye, and I do not hate you."

"I remember you telling me I shouldn't be here," Skye replied quietly, her expression distant for a while. "You sounded like you hated me. I've heard... The tone of voice was the same. One of my foster families... They didn't want me, either."

"We do. I do." On an impulse May would question later, she reached out and touched Skye's warm hand with her cooler one, strong fingers gripping the hacker's for a moment before she withdrew. "I get frustrated sometimes. I... worry. If you're going to be out in the field, if you want to be an agent, you can't afford distractions, Skye. You have to be wholly focused on what's going on around you or you'll end up getting hurt."

"Again," Skye corrected a little ruefully. She managed a small, self-depreciating smile as she wrapped her arms around her middle, cradling her bruised ribs. "You mean I'll end up getting hurt again."

They lapsed into a companionable, almost friendly silence again once May turned back to the controls, and that was how they finished their day together.

* * *

Her third day was spent with Coulson in his office. Though she'd been there many times before, Skye explored it as though it was the first time, an almost childlike smile playing on her lips as she looked at the memorabilia and little personal touches displayed on the shelves.

"You're as much of an Avengers fangirl as I am, admit it," she said eventually, turning to face the man himself as he stood watching her.

"Technically, I think I'd be a fan_boy_ but yes, I suppose. Just don't tell anyone," he added, completely pan-faced, which made her laugh in delight.

That set the theme for most of the day they spent together, with Skye asking questions about his previous career with SHIELD, his time with the Avengers top of her list, and Coulson, when he could, answering as honestly as possible.

And then it got serious. He knew it was going to when her expression changed, her eyes holding a haunted look for a moment before she gazed at him with a look that was part curious, part wary on her face. "You're helping me find my parents. Real or not real?"

Coulson hesitated for only a split second. "Real."

Tilting her head to the side, Skye drew her legs up against her chest as she sat in the chair opposite him. "You're keeping something from me. Trying to protect me?"

"Are you asking me if that's real or not?" Coulson countered just as quietly.

"I don't know," Skye admitted after taking a moment to consider it. "I don't know if I really want to know. I just... They told me I couldn't trust you. That you were lying to me, using me. And I don't know if I want to know whether that's true or not."

He got up from his chair as she watched him cautiously and moved until he was standing on the same side of the desk as her. Leaning against the desk and holding her gaze, Coulson stared at her evenly. "Ask me."

"AC..."

"Skye."

She looked at him for a moment before tilting her head slightly, asking the question and then biting her lip as she waited for the response. "I can trust you. I'm safe here. Real or not real?"

"Real." Coulson's voice was low, his hand warm when he let it rest on her shoulder for a moment. "Absolutely, one hundred percent real. I might do things you don't understand sometimes but everything I do is in your best interests, Skye, I promise you that. You are safe here, and I'll do whatever it takes to make sure that's always true."

* * *

She was feeling better on her fourth day, feeling much more like her old self. Though Simmons still insisted she couldn't take part in her training sessions, Skye found herself down in the hangar where the makeshift gym was set up, watching as Ward worked out.

It was their day together, after all, and she'd insisted he didn't need to stray from his usual routine.

As she watched him, she let her mind wander, calling to mind the conversations she'd had with her other teammates over the last few days and trying to remember every detail of her relationship with the man not more than a few feet away.

His reaction to her injuries confused her the most; Skye wasn't afraid to admit it. She remembered a distance between them, almost a coldness, so the way he hovered around her and fussed and the concerned expression she caught on his face when he thought she wasn't looking confused the hell out of it.

"Did I do something wrong?" She asked suddenly, the question surprising her as much as the sound of her voice surprised him. Ward stopped mid-punch, steadying the bag with one hand as he turned to look at her where she sat on the stairs. "I... When we were out on the mission, you acted like you were annoyed with me. Like I'd done something to upset you. Had I? Because I can't remember." She fought the urge to blush as he continued to stare at her in silence. "I mean, I remember the whole Miles thing and I know that was a stupid, idiotic thing that's going to haunt me forever but I thought... We seemed to be getting past that, almost, but then you pulled away again and I don't know why."

For a long while, Ward was silent. For so long, in fact, that Skye began to think that, despite the whole thing being his idea, he wasn't going to answer her questions. He wasn't the most talkative of people, _that_ she clearly remembered, but she'd thought maybe they could use this as a method of clearing the air between them, of making a fresh start and putting the past behind them but maybe...

"You did nothing wrong," he answered eventually, his voice low and his expression almost... stricken? "I'm sorry." The apology was awkward, and confused her because she wasn't sure how it was necessary. Before she could ask him, though, Ward continued to speak. "It's my fault you got hurt. It's my fault they took you."

In an instant, Skye was taken back to the last moment she remembered before waking up in a cold, dark cell. They'd been heading back to the Bus, making their way quickly through a wooded area after retrieving the piece of alien technology they'd been sent to retrieve. Ward was a few steps ahead of her, posture tense as he kept a look out. She remembered stumbling over a tree root, calling out for him to slow down...

... And then there was nothing but blackness encroaching on her vision and Ward shouting her name and...

"Skye. Skye, come back to me. Look at me." His hands tightened on her shoulders and she opened her eyes to see he was far closer than she'd expected him to be, kneeling on the floor in front of her as he stared at her through panicked eyes. "You're okay," he assured her, his voice soft and soothing. "You're okay now."

She tried to smile to show she was okay but it took a few minutes longer than she'd like for her heartbeat to return to a normal rate, fear and pain and pure terror flooding her at the memories that followed her capture. She'd been through a lot in her life but she'd never been tortured before and Skye hoped to the heavens that it was something she'd never have to go through again.

A bottle of water was pushed into her hands, a cool hand pushing her hair back from her suddenly sweaty brow and she sipped slowly as Ward remained in front of her, his hands dropping to rest on her knees. "Are you okay?"

"I will be." Her smile was weak but she was proud of herself for being able to make one appear regardless. "I don't understand why you think it's your fault. It's not."

"It is." Guilt flashed in his eyes and he looked away from her momentarily. "I was distracted, and I wasn't paying as much attention as I should have been." He turned his gaze back to her and her breath caught in her throat at the raw emotion exposed on his face. "You hadn't done anything wrong but I was trying to push you away. You're right. I just... I'd realised something and I didn't know how to deal with it so I was punishing you in a way, which was unfair of me because it's nothing you've done, and I wasn't paying attention..."

"You couldn't have stopped it. There were so many of them and there was only the two of us." She set the water bottle down and covered his hands with hers. "What was it you realised?"

Ward didn't answer. He clenched his jaw and looked down at their hands instead of at her face.

"Please, Grant." She bit her lip and followed his gaze, lifting one of his hands to slide hers between them, wrapping her fingers around his as though afraid he was going to pull away from her. "Real or not real. You regret agreeing to be my SO."

"Not real." He answered quickly, sincerity in his voice even if he still wouldn't look at her.

"Real or not real. What you realised... Is it... Was it because the thing with you and May is over? Did she end it because of me?"

He looked up, obviously caught out by the question. Another emotion flittered across his face, though whether it was guilt or shame or just surprise that she knew about his relationship with May, Skye couldn't be sure. "Not real. May didn't end it, I did. Well, we both did and it's not something either of us regret."

Skye tilted her head to the side slightly, studying him with an intensity that might've made him uncomfortable if the conversation wasn't already one of the most awkward – and most important – he'd ever had. "You wish I wasn't on the Bus, that AC had kicked me off when I betrayed you all. Real or not real?"

"Not real." Ward cleared his throat, pushing aside the reminder of the sting of betrayal he'd felt when he found out she'd warned Miles of their intentions. "I was angry, Skye. Hurt, even. But I never wanted Coulson to kick you off the team. I don't want you to leave. Not then, not now. Not ever."

They were quiet for a moment, staring at one another, trying to say so much without actually putting the words out there. Skye felt heat rise in her cheeks and something akin to hope rise in her chest but still, she dropped her gaze to their hands as she asked her last question. "Ward... Grant... Real or not real. Do you love me?"

A lot hung on his reply. In fact, Ward was pretty sure it was the most important question he'd ever been asked and still, it was one of the easiest he'd ever had to answer.

"Real." The word was said on a breath between them, seconds before he closed the gap between them and kissed her as if to prove it.

* * *

End.  
The prompt was: _Anonymous asked: [I got this idea from Mockingjay. But you don't really have to have read it for my prompt :)] After a mission, Skye is now left with a mild amnesia. Ward has this idea on how they can help her memory. He introduces the "Real or Not Real" act (He read Mockingjay, yes). Skye goes with the flow in the Bus, coping up with whatever's happening around her. She asks/tells facts about herself/team, then they answer "Real" or "Not real". Each of the team gets a one-on-one day with her, telling her facts about the team & herself (Except for Fitzsimmons because they like to do it together) On the end of the chapter, please put a scene where Skye asks Ward "You love me. Real or Not real?" Ward says "Real." (Yeah, those are the exact words from the book)_


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